Don't Give up Yet
by EtainBlack
Summary: Ino's been seriously injured on a mission. While she's in a coma her girlfriend Sakura thinks back to what their relationship has been since then. Each chapter is about a different moment in their relationship. I promise the story is better than this summary... This is Inosaku, you don't have to read this if you don't like this pairing.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello there! This is just an idea that crossed my mind, it'll be a multi chapter fic but not really long... I hope you like it, please let me know with a review. Constructive criticism is appreciated but please no flames, it's useless to insult other people. Now go on and enjoy the story!

* * *

It was an ordinary day at the hospital for Sakura. The medic ninja had checked in that morning and, apart for a brief lunch break, she'd spent her day taking care of her ill or injured patients. She loved her job, she'd always enjoyed taking care of others and from the moment she discovered her talent in the medic arts she'd put all she had in her training and now she was one of the most skilled healers in Konoha.

Being the Hokage's student surely had its perks, it helped her become more confident in her abilities, but it was also really stressful. Tsunade's training methods were tough, she liked to wear her down making her work for even more than twelve hours a day with only a couple of short breaks.

Luckily for her though she had someone very special at home waiting for her every day, always making her aching body and tired mind feel better. Ino was her strength, the person she lived for, the reason of her smile. They fell in love with each other when they were only seventeen. They gave up on their stupid rivalry over a boy who never even acknowledged either of them when Ino picked up her courage and confessed her true feelings.

Now they were twenty five and they had been together since then. Those had been the happiest years of her life and she was sure there were going to be many more to come. The pink haired kunoichi was planning on proposing to Ino. She knew her blonde girlfriend wanted to take their relationship to the next level, she had subtly hinted at it several times during the last months but Sakura was stalling. She was waiting for the perfect occasion. After all there was no rush, they had their whole lives ahead to be together.

Every time she laid her eyes on Ino, Sakura's heart fluttered with love and adoration. She was so good to her. Sure sometimes they fought but their arguments never lasted more than a couple of days and soon one of them would be apologizing. Ino made her feel special, loved, needed. When her blue eyed girlfriend took a break from her training to come visit her at the hospital, or when she gave her flowers for no reason she felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have such an amazing partner who deeply cared for her.

These were the reasons why the last three days had been particularly hard on the pink haired kunoichi. Ino had been sent on a mission with her teammates, it was supposed to be pretty simple. Squad ten had to go to the land of waves, meet the client and safely escort him back to the Hidden Leaf Village.

At least that was what Sakura thought until the moment she saw a heavily bleeding Ino being carried into the hospital by Chouji and Shikamaru. It felt like her heart had stopped as she made her way through the crowd of rushing nurses to get to her girlfriend.

"Oh my God! What happened?" She cried out as soon as she was in front of team ten.

There were cuts and bruises all over Ino's body, her clothes were bloodied and ripped in several places, her left eye was swollen and her lower lip was split. The most serious wound was a huge gush in her abdomen, probably caused by a kunai being thrown at her and then ripped out.

"We were ambushed on our way back from the land of waves" the Nara boy quickly explained the situation while the nurses took the aching girl to the emergency room.

Sakura followed them in shock, the nurse who was checking Ino for other injuries told her that she was losing way too much blood and there were also the signs of internal bleeding.

The kunoichi was surprised Ino was still conscious, she had to be in a lot of pain, not to mention the loss of blood. Surely a less trained ninja would have been dead by then.

"Fetch the Hokage!" A nurse standing nearby yelled.

Sakura desperately wanted to do something but she found herself unable to move her body. It didn't feel real, it was like she was watching her body from a distance and she couldn't do anything to control it. The most important person in her life was severely injured and on the edge of death right before her eyes and she couldn't bring herself to do anything at all.

How pathetic was she? Everyone was doing something to move her girlfriend to the E.R. and she was just standing there, looking at her but not really seeing her. Tears gathered in her green eyes as she saw Ino struggling against the loss of blood to keep her own eyes open to look at her.

"S-Sakura..." It was only a weak whisper which left her mouth but the pink haired girl heard it loud and clear.

It was that gentle plea which snapped her out of her stupor. She suddenly rushed to take care of Ino while the other nurses prepared the signs on the floor the healing process needed.

"Sakura..." Ino spoke again, coughing up a little blood afterwards.

"Don't speak Ino, you're hurting" she said once she had safely secured her girlfriend to the bed.

"I'm sorry..." The blonde croaked out wincing in pain. "I-I love you" she sobbed while Sakura desperately caressed her head in order to calm her down. It wasn't good for her to keep on talking in her conditions.

"Please... Never forget that I love you" she paused to take in a short, pained breath. "Even if I d-die today"

At those words Sakura broke down completely, tears streaming down her face and falling on Ino's bruised chest. "You're not going to die Ino! Do you hear me?!" Her girlfriend was on the edge of consciousness, she was going to faint any second now. "You can't leave me Ino... Please keep fighting, never give up!"

In that moment Tsunade stormed into the room with Shizune in tow and Ino closed her eyes, fainting at last.

"Is everything ready?" The Hokage barked while she approached the bed.

"Yes lady Hokage! She's just lost consciousness"

The Sannin nodded to the nurse and then addressed Sakura.

"Leave" she stated while checking Ino's conditions.

Sakura's eyes widened and she shake her head fervently, "What? No! Please lady Tsunade, I want to help!"

"Look at yourself Sakura, you're in no condition to heal" the Hokage put both her hands on Ino's abdomen, starting the healing process. "Now go. Don't make me lose any more time than I have already"

The young kunoichi knew it was pointless to argue any further with her when she made up her mind and silently left the room. The last thing she saw before the door closed behind her were Tsunade's hands lighting up in green chakra. Now Ino was literally in her master's hands, she was Sakura's only hope.

Once in the waiting room she slumped into one of the uncomfortable plastic chair and cried all the tears she had left. Was that the last time she'd see Ino's loving blue eyes? Hear her sweet voice? Feel her warm touch? The young kunoichi couldn't bear those thoughts. No, Ino wouldn't leave her. She couldn't die that way, it wasn't fair to her ninja skills and to Sakura. The green eyed girl had faith in the fifth Hokage, she was the best medical ninja in the whole world and if she couldn't save her girlfriend then no one could. Somehow that thought comforted her a little but it wasn't a big consolation in case Ino really died.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and someone pull her into a hug. She looked up and saw bright blue eyes staring back at her. She immediately hid her head into Naruto's chest and sobbed even harder but nonetheless she was grateful that her best friend was there with her.

"It'll be okay Sakura" he whispered while gently caressing her pink hair "Ino is strong, she'll pull through"

Sakura gripped his shirt and slightly pulled back to glare at him, "It's not fair Naruto! She's badly hurt and her client is safe and sound" the pain in her heart made it hard to talk but she had to let out her frustration in some way "Why did she risk her life for a stranger? Didn't she think about me? How would I feel if she ended up dead?"

Naruto's stare softened a little, "It's the way of the shinobi, Sakura. You're hurting, that's why you're talking like that. It was Ino's duty to protect that man and she carried it out even if it meant getting injured. You'd have done the same thing, I'm sure of it"

Probably his words were true. Sakura would have done the exact same thing but still it didn't make it hurt any less. She stopped talking then. Naruto already knew he was right. They spent the next hours in silence, the only noise was Sakura's sobbing while Naruto tried his best to offer his comfort. He hated to see his best friend in such a state but there was nothing he could do. The only one who could cheer Sakura up now was Tsunade. With just a single sentence the Hokage could immediately lift her spirit, or tear her down completely.

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked it! Please let me know, see you soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everybody! So this is the second chapter of Don't give up yet. I hope you'll like it! _Words written in italics are a flaschback._

* * *

Chapter 2:

The sound of the emergency room's door opening was what woke Sakura up from her state of semi-consciousness. She and Naruto had been sitting there for at least four hours, she had stopped crying not long ago simply because she had no more tears to shed. She felt hollow, like she was breathing and living but didn't have a reason to.

However when she saw her master exiting the E.R. a bit of her strength came back to her. She lifted her head from her best friend's shoulder to hear what Tsunade had to say. She hoped with all her heart that it wouldn't be what she feared. Anything would be better than to hear that Ino was dead, that she didn't make it and that now Sakura was without the most important person in her life.

Sakura stayed silent, patiently waiting for her master to start talking. The part of her fearing the worst didn't want to hear what Tsunade had to say about Ino's condition but however the biggest part wanted to know if she was alright. She desperately wanted to be reassured that her beloved girlfriend was going to live.

"Well c'mon grandma!" Naruto exclaimed being his usual loud, impatient self. "How's Ino? She's okay, right?"

The moments that passed between Naruto's question and Tsunade's answer were the longest of Sakura's life. The Hokage's next words could change her whole life completely. They could make her the happiest person on Earth or make her become only an empty shell of the lively girl she used to be.

"She's alive"

As soon as those words left her mouth, Sakura felt light. It was like the weigh of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. Ino was safe. That's all she needed to hear. Once again her green eyes filled with tears but this time they were of joy and relief. She couldn't believe how close she'd come to lose Ino. In these last hours she'd realized what her greatest fear truly was and it terrified her. She didn't ever want to see her girlfriend risk her life that way.

"That's fantastic grandma! I knew you could save her!" Naruto cheered and hugged Sakura, spinning her in the air while she was too relieved to speak.

"Wait a minute, I'm not finished"

He immediately stopped and put Sakura down as the girl's eyes widened again. What could possibly be wrong?

"Although her life is out of danger, she's hasn't regained consciousness" Tsunade sighed heavily "I don't know for how long she'll remain unconscious but I'm sure she went through a lot of trouble to stay awake until they got here so she probably just needs to regain her strength" The Hokage patiently explained to the pair of shinobi.

So Ino was unconscious. It was expectable, after all she went out of her way just to see her girlfriend one more time if she were to die due to her wounds. Sakura wasn't put off by this knowledge, even if she had to wait a little bit to talk to her it didn't matter as long as Ino was going to be okay in the end.

"Can I see her?" The green eyed asked, her voice still hoarse from hours spent crying.

Tsunade hesitated for a few moments. Her patient needed silence to rest peacefully and it wasn't wise to let people into her room just yet, however Sakura was a special case. She was a medic so she knew how to behave in this kind of situations but more importantly Ino was her girlfriend and it was only fair to allow her to visit.

"You can Sakura, but only you" she added once she saw Naruto making a move towards the door.

"But grandma! Ino's my friend! I want to see her too"

"She needs to rest and you're not exactly the quiet type" she took a step towards the exit "I'm already making an exception with Sakura. Now lead the way"

Naruto sighed but smiled at his best friend and then left along with the Hokage, Shizune and the nurses who supported Tsunade during the healing process. Now alone outside of Ino's room she took a moment to collect herself and her thoughts. Her girlfriend was out of danger, she was going to live. She was just a few steps ahead of her, sleeping in a bed.

The pink haired girl put a hand on the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. When she saw Ino she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. The love of her life was there, in front of her eyes, unconscious, probably aching all over her body but safe, alive and that was the most important thing. She took a few tentative steps towards her and once she was standing next to the bed she softly stroked her beautiful blond hair while with her mind she went back to the last time she saw Ino, right before she left for that damn mission.

* * *

 _"I'm home!" The green eyed kunoichi made her presence known as she stepped inside the small apartment she and her girlfriend shared. Neither she nor Ino were rich or made enough money to buy a bigger one yet but it was cozy and it felt like home so both of them were happy with what they had._

 _That day had been a particularly hard one at the hospital, she hadn't had a single free moment since early that morning. Tsunade really was pushing her at her limit. That was the reason why she couldn't wait to get home and relax with Ino._

 _As soon as she took off her coat she felt two strong, feminine arms wrap around her waist from behind and pull her close to the warm body of her girlfriend._

 _"Finally" the blonde said, moving in front of Sakura to briefly kiss her lips "It's later than usual"_

 _"I know" she sighed "It's been a rough day"_

 _"Why's that?" Ino asked while starting to walk towards the kitchen._

 _"There's some kind of influence spreading in the village... It must be the cold weather" Sakura trailed off while following the blonde._

 _"Well, I hope you're hungry. I made dinner"_

 _"I'm starving!" The table was already laid out and a mouth watering scent could be smelled. "Wow Ino! This smells amazing"_

 _Sakura moaned as she took the first bite of roast and mashed potatoes that her girlfriend served. "This is so good!"_

 _Ino smiled softly, "Thank you"_

 _Her girlfriend was a great cook but unfortunately between her training and the missions she rarely had the time to cook a fantastic meal like that one. She usually did on special occasions or when she had something to talk to her about._

 _The two girls chatted happily about their day throughout dinner. Ino told Sakura about her training session and having lunch with Choji and Shikamaru while Sakura filled her in on the details of the influence which was affecting a large part of the Hidden leaf Village's population._

 _Later, once they finished the delicious meal and took care of the dishes, they moved to the couch to have some cuddle time._

 _"Did you know that Sasuke asked Naruto to marry him?" Ino asked while settling down in a comfortable position._

 _"Really? He didn't tell me anything!" Sakura frowned. Naruto was her best friend, they had shared their secrets since they were twelve so she was a little bit upset that he didn't tell her such a major thing._

 _"Well, it only happened today" her girlfriend pointed out "Maybe they're still celebrating" a playful smile graced her lips "You know how they get once they start doing it... There's no way to pull them apart"_

 _Sakura smiled and sat on Ino's lap, putting her arms gently around her neck to lean in and kiss her lips. Her girlfriend responded immediately, sneaking her own arms around the pink haired girl's back to pull her even closer._

 _"Yeah, you're right. It kinda reminds me of someone" she smirked, hinting to themselves and then turned serious "Wow, can you believe that they've been together for ten years already?"_

 _"Time flies" the blonde nodded "But we're not far behind them" she smiled sweetly._

 _"I love you"_

 _"I love you too, Sakura"_

 _Then they fell silent for a few minutes, each enjoying the comforting warmth of the other. Eight years went by since they got together and yet it seemed like it had only happened yesterday. Every kiss felt like the first one, every touch gave her goose bumps, every sweet declaration of love still made her feel like the most special girl in the world._

 _The young kunoichi buried her nose into the crook of Ino's neck and inhaled her comforting scent. It was so unique and familiar that she could pick it out everywhere. When her girlfriend was away for whatever reason Sakura made it a point to sleep in one of her t-shirts just to be surrounded by that scent and feel close to her._

 _"Saku…" Ino broke the silence and Sakura lifted her head to look her in the eyes, "Today the Hokage assigned us a mission. It should be quite easy though, just a c-rank"_

 _Sakura's shoulders slumped slightly. She was never exactly happy when Ino had to leave but she also knew this was the way of the shinobi so she did her best to endure it with a smile on her face and looked forward to her return._

 _"When are you leaving?"_

 _"Early tomorrow morning" she explained "We have to go to the Land of Waves, meet the client and escort him back to the village"_

 _"Sounds simple enough but please be careful nonetheless"_

 _Ino smiled softly then briefly pecked her lips, "I'll be back before you know it!"_

* * *

Sakura was then taken from her memories by the sound of the door being opened. She noticed that once again her cheeks were wet from the tears which were still coming even after hours spent crying.

"Sakura…" It was Tsunade's voice. She was using a gentle tone for her standards and this helped the young girl calm down a little bit. "It's late… You should go home and rest"

She instantly shook her head. She didn't want to leave Ino's side after she had come so close to losing her. She was willing to sleep in the uncomfortable hospital's chairs if the Hokage allowed her.

"Sakura, you know the rules. Please don't make me force you out of here" she put a comforting hand on her student's shoulder "The nurses are coming to take her to another room"

Sakura knew her sensei's words were true, that she needed to leave and let the nurses do their work so she hesitantly stood up from the chair she'd been sitting on.

"I decided to give you the rest of the week to rest and cool down a bit" Tsunade said "I pushed you pretty hard the last weeks so you deserve a vacation, now even more than before" her eyes shifted to Ino's sleeping form "She'll be okay eventually but there's nothing we can do right now. It's all up to her"

The pink haired girl dried her tears with the back of her hand, "She's strong" she put her hand on Ino's cheek and gently caressed her face "She won't give up"

She then leaned down to lay a soft kiss on her girlfriend's forehead just as a nurse entered the room.

"We're ready to move Ino Yamanaka to room 7 on the third floor, lady Hokage"

Tsunade nodded while Sakura said her goodbye to Ino. "I'll be back tomorrow. I love you" she whispered.

Some other nurses entered and Sakura knew that it was time for her to return to her empty home. She exited the hospital and slowly made her way to their apartment. As the Hokage said, it was pretty late. It was already dark outside and almost all the shops were closed for the day.

The first thing she noticed ad she opened the door of their apartment was a small envelope on the table. She knew exactly what it was, she herself had picked it out just the day before. It was Ino's birthday present. Her girlfriend was going to be 26 in only two weeks and Sakura had the perfect present for her. It was a very sober but still beautiful necklace she'd noticed Ino's eyeing several time while they walked in front of the village's jewelry. Unfortunately it was a little too expensive and she didn't buy it so Sakura figured that it could do as a birthday present.

She picked it up and hid it in a drawer where she was sure Ino wouldn't find it by accident. If she woke up before her birthday, that is. Sakura shook that thought from her mind, she definitely was going to be alright in no time at all, she wouldn't keep her waiting for too long.

Trying to keep herself distracted by doing several chores she'd been putting off the last few days she managed not to think about Ino for a while. However there was only so much she could do before the events of that day took their toll on her. She soon found herself wearing one of her girlfriend's old t-shirts, laying in their bed falling asleep surrounded by her sweet scent pretending to be in her arms and not by herself.

* * *

A/N: Okay this is it, I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! See ya!


End file.
